Resident Evil: Prototype
by Toxin Blackheart
Summary: My interpretation of the Resident Evil 2 idea that never came to pass, collectively known as "Resident Evil 1.5." The story follows Officer Roy Jones and student Elza Walker as they try to survive that infamous night in Raccoon City.
1. Bledsoe's Goodbye

_**"Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds."**_

_**-J. Robert Oppenheimer**_

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**RESIDENT EVIL: "PROTOTYPE**"

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Beads of sweat rested on Doctor Bledsoe's brow, glistening from the computer screen's dull luminance. An unfinished email stared back at him, the text cursor flickering in and out of sight. He wiped the sweat onto the sleeve of his lab coat, and his fingers resumed their steady waltz on the keyboard. He was writing a suicide note. Trenton Bledsoe's eventful life was nearing its abrupt end.

Bledsoe joined the Umbrella Corporation in the mid-1980s. He considered his experience and research in the field of genetics to be useful to Umbrella's pharmaceutical assets. When he joined the corporation, he quickly realized that everything he knew was merely a misconception. True, Umbrella was a pharmaceutical company that did indeed produce general medicine. However, this was merely a front for much darker things. Umbrella toiled in the field of biological weapons and genetic research, and that department utilized Bledsoe's skills to the fullest. In recent years, Bledsoe began to work with the volatile t-Virus, which had a host of notable effects on its test subjects. Bledsoe worked closely with a brilliant man of science named William Birkin. Dr. Birkin had been working on an offshoot virus of his own, known as G. The G-virus offered enormous restorative properties, ones that could perfect the super soldier molds initiated by the t-Virus.

Bledsoe was allowed access to the unfinished prototype models of the G virus. It had been made very clear that only Birkin himself could work with the more advanced models of G. The products of Trenton's research sat against the wall behind him, resting quietly in stasis tubes, their cold blue light shining in the otherwise dark laboratory. Bledsoe conducted research in this underground laboratory for years, which rested beneath the basement of his own home in Raccoon City. His purpose was to experiment with the G Virus on one of Umbrella's bio-organic weapons: The Hunter model.

The Hunter was a creature born of genetics. They existed of human DNA, spliced with that of reptilian or amphibian genes. The result was incredible. The standard Hunter stood at average human height. Their physique was Herculean to say the least, and each bulging muscle was covered in reptilian scales. What were formerly human fingers and toes were replaced with ebony claws capable of decapitating prey with ease. Their mouths were filled with animal fangs, and their wild eyes were filled with only bloodlust.

His work with the Hunter models had been moderately successful. Umbrella was not blind to this potential success, and had meticulous logs on every piece of Bledsoe's research. The good doctor was not a stupid man, and was aware of Umbrella's capabilities. He could only imagine that they would soon be bursting into his home in a matter of days. They would kill him. They would take his subjects. They would take his research, and destroy any evidence that he ever existed, let alone worked on the project at all. The good doctor had prepared himself. He had already made sure that his wife and daughter were far from Raccoon City, sending them on an extended and very secretive vacation. One of his three specimens was also already removed from the town, stored in a very safe place known only by Bledsoe, and his wife Amelia. The other two remained in stasis, but that would soon change. He planned to release them into Raccoon City. If Umbrella wanted them, they would have to earn them.

"I know my time is limited. We've had this planned for years, and now we must put it into action. Amelia, my dear, I'm so sorry it had to end this way, but I know that this research means as much to you as it does me. Keep Lucia safe, and make sure that Specimen III's growth is not inhibited. Amelia, I love you with all of my heart. Goodbye, my sweet. -Trenton."

The note was finished; he had said his final goodbyes and given her instructions on how to care for Specimen III. He sent the email, the last words his sweet Amelia would ever hear from him. He maximized another window on his computer, bringing up surveillance cameras. His paranoia was confirmed. There was a large black truck in his driveway, and he could see Umbrella's special clean-up crew pouring out. Their image evoked fear, their faces hidden by gas masks, their eyes concealed by soulless black goggles. One of them approached the camera, submachine gun clutched tightly in one hand. He disabled the camera, reducing the feed to static.

Trenton sighed, and deactivated the tubes. He turned in his chair, eying his two remaining specimens, Romulus and Remus. Like the ancient Roman myth, they were his children, two brothers raised under unnatural circumstances. As the heart monitors flatlined and the tubes began to drain, he saw them begin to stir. The tubes slowly began to empty. In a flash, glass was flying, shards exploding towards Bledsoe in his chair. In one fluid movement, Romulus stepped out of the tube, splashing the stasis fluid onto the basement floor. His nine foot tall frame was hunched over, his back against the ceiling.

Before any expressible form of awe could escape his lips, Trenton was on the ground, his legs still sitting in the chair. The disembodied waist and legs went slack, sliding out the chair and falling to the floor. His heart continued to beat, spraying blood from the ragged flesh that ended his upper half. Both Romulus and Remus stood before him now, his beautiful creations. They gave him little time to appreciate them, as the abrupt slash of a claw splattered the good doctor's brains against the wall. The top of his skull spun along the floor like a bowl. As Trenton Bledsoe's lifeless body continued to bleed out, his creations proceeded to sabotage their late "father's" laboratory.

They ceased their destruction only once, when the steel-toed boot of a U.B.C.S. agent kicked in the door to the basement laboratory. Not a single one of them survived.


	2. Waiting on a No Show

It was another quiet night at the Raccoon City Police Department. In truth, most of them were pretty quiet aside from the occasional drunk screaming at passing cars or vandals spraying various incoherencies on alley walls. Officer Roy Jones would have been more than happy to deal with something as routine as an angry drunk. Instead, he was stuck sitting in the lobby with nothing more to do than twiddle his thumbs. Roy had been a part of the Raccoon Police Department for three years, which evidently qualified him to break in the new rookie.

Roy was a relatively good-looking twenty-six year old. He usually kept his light brown hair messily parted, and his slim face complimented his slender build. He took off his glasses and cleaned them on his navy blue shirt, which was standard uniform for the R.P.D. alongside his navy pants, Kevlar vest and shoulder pads, and fingerless gloves. Roy put his glasses back on, and checked his watch.

"When the hell is this guy gonna show up?" The new rookie, Officer Kennedy, was supposed to show up at the station for his orientation at 7:00. Roy's watch informed him that was nearly three hours ago. _"Probably trying to sleep off one last party night before becoming a cop…Ass. Who am I kidding? Three years ago, I was doing the same thing. Dammit, this rookie's making me feel old."_

"Hey Deej! You still here?"

Roy turned to acknowledge the voice of Officer Kevin Ryman, who was strutting towards him in his black R.P.D. uniform. Kevin never walked; he always strutted. His mid-length brown hair curled out a bit past his ears, and he had a slight, scruffy goatee to compliment the sly grin that was usually on his face. Roy and Kevin had been good friends through high school, where Kevin was the bad boy and Roy had to be the voice of reason. They became even better friends when they both joined the Raccoon Police Department.

Kevin jokingly called him "Deej" or "DJ" due to a little mix-up on behalf of Chief Irons. Irons was an odd duck who was a little to quiet for his own good, but he was also slightly absent minded. When he started at the R.P.D., Irons immediately mistook Roy for another employee with the last name Jones: Doug Jones. Doug Jones had left the force a year and a half before Roy even started, and he always went by the nickname DJ. Somehow the name transferred itself onto Roy. He didn't mind it much though. It started as a simple mistake, but he thought it was a bit catchy; catchier than Roy at least.

"Not much Kev. Still waiting on this Kennedy asshole. Who shows up three hours late on their first day?"

Kevin smirked, "You know where he's at. Boy's cradling the toilet; we've all been there. Don't worry man, he'll show."

"Yeah, I know he'll show; I'm stuck here until he does."

Another voice stole Roy's attention. "Hey Roy! Can you come here for a sec, please?"

The voice belonged to Rita, the receptionist slash secretary slash dispatcher. She was mostly just a dispatcher, but Irons apparently felt that she was competent enough to handle every inconsequential matter regarding the Department, like getting his coffee and doing his work for him. Of course, Rita was always the type who was too nice to say anything about it.

"What's up Rita?" replied the slightly disgruntled Roy, forcing a smile as he walked towards Rita's desk in the center of the lobby.

"Roy, we got a call from Gary Barnson, the gas station attendant. I guess there was a little bit of action down there tonight. I know you're supposed to be waiting on the new rookie, but I think the fresh air might be good for you," Rita said with a smile, brushing a strand of pale blonde hair from her eyes. Rita really was quite pretty, even with her blonde hair pulled back in a bun for work. There were always one or two strands that would hang along her slender face. Roy was a sucker for blondes. "Don't worry, if Kennedy shows up, I'll just have him wait for you if you're still out. And who knows, you might be gone for quite a while, at the gas station you know," winked Rita, shooting Roy a sly smile.

"Oh yeah, definitely! Nice to finally make the newbie wait on me for a little bit." Roy smiled back, not having to force it this time, "Thanks Rita, back in a bit."

"Be safe out there Roy!"

"Always." Roy walked back over to Kevin, "Looks like I'm getting a bit of a reprieve for sitting here with my thumb in my ass."

"Gross, dude, you don't' know where that thumb's been. Well, Marvin's throwing a 'Welcome Aboard!' party for the newbie, but I'm sure as hell not staying for that fourth grade bullshit. Want to meet up at J's Bar at eleven?"

J's Bar was a regular hang out for Roy and Kevin. It had a nice quiet atmosphere, which every bar should have, and both Roy and Kevin agreed that Cindy, the waitress there, had an exceptionally perfect ass. She was a blonde too; Roy was hooked.

"You know I'm there, if this kid ever shows up."

"No worries man, I'll wait up. Take it easy."

"See ya, Kev."

Roy made his way out to the garage towards the squad car. As he walked through the garage, he popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. As he blew out the first relieving cloud of smoke, he hopped in his car, rolled down the window, and drove off to the gas station. It was another quiet night in Raccoon City, for now.


	3. Homecoming

The cool evening wind whipped past Elza Walker as she tore her way down the Interstate. Motorcycling was her passion. Whenever she hopped on her bike, every last worry vanished the second her hand twisted the accelerator. She peered through the visor of her helmet, her eyes greeted by bold white letters saying "Raccoon City - 10 miles." Elza was born and raised in Raccoon City, and had only recently left her beloved hometown for college. Granted, college was only a good two hours away in the nearby city of Reiniger, but her motorcycling often took her all over the country to compete. No matter where she found herself, no place could ever beat home for Elza. There were friends to reconnect with, places to visit, and sweet, sweet nostalgia to enjoy.

Elza could see the Arklay Mountains in the distance, and she relished their curved, purple slopes against the speckled black sky. It had only been months ago, but to Elza, the cannibal murder scare seemed as if it had happened so long ago. It was in the summertime, so she had been in town when news spread of the old Spencer Estate going up in flames, and the local S.T.A.R.S. team claiming that the house was filled with monsters. There was always so much mystery behind that old mansion. Once, years ago, while camping with her friend Serena and her family, they had shared some rumors and stories about the old house.

"I hear it's haunted. The spirits of Old Man Spencer's ancestors live in that house, and you can hear their screams in the middle of the night," Elza had said, sitting with her best friend by the campfire.

"No way, that's crap, Elza. Bull crap," Serena laughed. "My dad's friend knows a few guys who worked up there I guess, and they told him that they do crazy scientific experiments up there, like human experiments and stuff!"

Elza remembered being terrified at the thought. Even now, thinking about the idea of freak experiments in her own hometown chilled her to the bone. Could the rumors have been true? What if the S.T.A.R.S. team was right? Elza had always had a small crush on Alpha team member Chris Redfield, and he didn't seem like the type to make up such a grandiose tale. When the surviving S.T.A.R.S. members returned to town after the mansion exploded, they were dishonorably split apart, and the entire Raccoon S.T.A.R.S. branch was eliminated. Elza's brother, Aidan, was good friends with one of the Bravo team members, Forest Speyer. Forest never did come home that night…

She stopped reminiscing when she could see city lights in the distance. In another fifteen minutes, or ten at the speed she was going, Elza would be home again. "_Raccoon City, here I come!"_

Elza slowed down once she reached town. There was no point in getting a speeding ticket; they never made good homecoming presents. As she neared the motel where she was staying, she could make out two figures standing in front of the lobby entrance. As she pulled closer, the figures were those of her best friends, Serena and Kelsey. Elza's heart leapt into her throat, and she couldn't help but entirely disregard the speed limit and blaze her way to the motel. She pulled up, killed the bike, and popped the kick stand as her friends stood there smiling.

"ELLZZZZAAAA MY DEAR! How I've missed thee!"

Elza took off her helmet, letting the cool autumn air caress her face. Her golden blonde hair fell past her shoulders, no doubt glad to be freed from the confines of her helmet. Elza always carried a look of innocence, her face almost pixie-like. Between that and her petite frame, people were often shocked to find out about her wild, passion for motorcycling. She placed her helmet on the seat of her bike and ran to her friends, arms outstretched. She hugged them both tightly. It felt so good to feel them again, smell them, hear them; she always missed them so much when she was away.

"Ooohhh, I missed you two so much! What are we up to tonight?"

Serena smiled, "Well we were going to check out the Cryptoz show at Moore's Pub. But honestly, you're here! I'd settle for chilling out in your room and catching up."

"Let's do both! The Cryptoz are pretty much awful, but we can catch their show, heckle them a bit, then come back here. How's that sound?"

"Don't you want to change clothes first?" It wasn't until Kelsey had brought it up that Elza noticed she was still in her motorcycle jumpsuit. It was red and white, with a big "Raccoon City Motorcycles" logo on the chest.

"I'll have plenty of time to change later. Let me just get my room key real fast."

Serena and Kelsey tagged along as Elza bounded towards the motel's front office. An exceptionally weary looking man with a shiny bald head greeted them from the front desk. Elza walked up to him, and set her bag down on the ground.

"Hi there, I'm picking up a key for Elza Walker."

The man eyed Elza, "And would that be you?"

"The one and only."

"Well then, pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Walker," the man said with a slightly leery smile. He left the desk to grab the key, and Elza turned towards Serena and Kelsey. She had to stifle a laugh when her friends were making faces at the desk attendant. She turned back to the desk, where the key was waiting for her.

"Your key, Miss Walker." His hands were shaking slighty, and he had a bloodied square of gauze on the top of his hand.

"Oh God, is your hand alright?"

He pulled his hand back, leaving the key on the counter. "Oh, uh yeah. Just a little bite. No big deal." He paused, embarrassed. "Um, enjoy your stay."

Elza grabbed the key, and picked her bag up, leaving the office as quickly as possible.

"Jesus, what a weirdo," Kelsey said, a little too loud.

"Fuck Kels, he can still hear us," shouted Serena.

Kelsey stuck out her tongue, and Elza interrupted. "Alright alright, break it up ladies. Shall we go?"

"Sounds like a plan, baby girl. C'mon, I'll drive!" Kelsey said, twirling the keys to her beat up compact car around her finger. Elza was grinning ear to ear as she hopped in the car. It felt so good to be back again; she was home.


	4. The Gas Station

The gas station wasn't terribly far from the Police Department, giving Roy just enough time to finish off his cigarette. As he hopped out of his squad car, he dropped the cigarette to the asphalt and crushed it under his boot. He immediately noticed the gaping hole where one of the gas station's windows should have been. Shards of broken glass covered the parking lot. As he stepped inside, Gary Barnson, the elderly gas station attendant, ran up to him, talking a mile a minute.

"Oh thank the stars you finally got here! I tell you what, boy I tell you what, quite a lot of shit has gone down in the last ten minutes." Gary adjusted his glasses and idly scratched his mustache. There was another person standing by the counter, a younger man in a forest green blazer with his light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. Near the back of the store, he could hear pounding on a door.

"Alright Gary, what happened here? The place is a mess."

"Well, it was just me, this fella here," Gary gestured towards the man in the blazer, "and one other fella, a trucker who comes 'round here regularly. All's a sudden, the mechanic from down the road busts on in here. He looked hurt, or piss drunk, or both, I dunno. Anyways, he stumbles in here with this stupid look on his face. The trucker goes, 'You got a problem, pal?' and the mechanic jumps on 'im! He grabbed 'im and started chewin' on 'im! Tore a huge chunk right out of his damned arm! Well, the trucker slugs the guy in the face and knocks 'im against the window. I wasn't gonna have none of that in my gas station, so I pulled out Paulina here and blew 'im out the window." Gary said as he pulled a shotgun out from under the counter.

"Jesus, Gary! You shot him?"

"Well hell yeah I shot 'im! I ain't gonna let nobody eat my paying customers!"

"God damn, Gary. Well where is this mechanic?"

The man in the blazer spoke up, "Gary and I went out to the parking lot to check up on him. He took a shot straight to the chest, and he was outside getting back up. I couldn't fucking believe it. Gary hit him over the head a couple of times, and we both dragged him inside and locked him in the back room."

Roy, still a bit shocked, asked, "Hey, I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"Oh geez, I'm sorry. I'm Aidan, uh Aidan Walker. I'm the co-owner of 'Auretta's Books.'" He offered his hand out to Roy.

"Right, right right." Roy said, shaking Aidan's hand. "Um, Aidan, would you mind helping get this mechanic into my car? I've got to take him down to the station, or the hospital…God, I don't know, somewhere."

"Sure, no problem."

Roy and Aidan walked towards the back, Gary's shoes squeaking on the trails of blood on the floor as he trotted ahead of them. He unlocked the storage closet, and as he opened the door, the mechanic fell out, smashing his face against the floor. He let out a wet, throaty moan as he tried to get back up. Before he could, Roy grabbed a pair of handcuffs from his belt, tightening them around the man's wrists. He and Aidan pulled the mechanic up. His name apparently was Wilson, if his nametag was to be trusted. Roy and Aidan guided the groaning Wilson to the car outside. Aidan opened the door to the back seat, as Roy set him inside and closed the door.

"Hey," said Aidan as he eyed Roy's nametag, "Officer, uh, Jones, do you want me to come down with you? Might as well have an eyewitness, and you know Gary won't leave that station. Plus, my sister is in town, and the motel she's staying at is pretty close to the Police Department. It's just a short walk down Ennerdale Street, so would it be okay if I got a ride?"

"Hmm, it looks like we all benefit from that plan. I get your testimony, and you get a free trip to see your sister. Hop in."

* * *

During the entirety of their drive, Wilson continued to groan in the backseat of the car. It certainly wasn't calming, and now it had easily crossed the point of annoying. Roy turned his head towards him.

"Listen pal, you're in enough trouble already with this biting incident. How about you not make this worse for yourself by just shutting the fuck up?"

"Jones, look out!"

Roy redirected his eyes to the road and slammed on the breaks. There were two people, standing in the middle of the road. Neither of them reacted to the car that almost smashed into them at forty two miles per hour. For a moment, Roy paused, just waiting for either of them to do something, anything. Finally, after what felt like hours, they both crouched down, obscured by the front of the car.

"Stay in here Aidan, I'll be right back."

Aidan nodded as Roy stepped out of the car, keeping his hand very close to his holstered pistol. He slowly crept around to the front of the car, where the two men were still crouched. One was a heavy-set man with curly red hair, and the other was a black man in a nice button-up shirt. They were crouched around what had to have been a young high school student. She was wearing jeans torn at the knees, an oversized letterman's jacket, and…

_"Her face is missing. Oh my God. Her fucking face is gone."_

Red-head and Button-up were covered in the girl's blood, smeared across both of their faces. Button-up lifted one of the girl's slender arms up to his mouth, and unceremoniously began to chew the flesh of her fingers.

Roy pulled out his gun and steadied it on the two. "Both of you, get away from the body! One wrong move and, believe me, I will not hesitate to shoot either one of you!"

While Button-up continued to devour what was once the girl's hand, Red-head slowly turned towards Roy. He had a glassy stare, his jaw was slack. Both of his chins were slathered with blood, which trailed all the way down his chest, staining his dirty wife-beater. He slowly stood up, moaning just like Wilson had been. He reached out his arms, and began plodding towards Roy.

"I am being entirely serious! Step away from me now. If you continue, I will have no choice but to open fire! This is your last warning, sir!"

Roy's words had no effect as the man continued to walk towards him, sluggishly dragging his feet behind him. Roy aimed his handgun downwards, and he blew out Red-head's kneecap. He could hear a firm crack as the bullet shattered bone. Red-head, however, seemed to disregard the pain entirely. _"Jesus Christ, he's not even fazed by it!"_ He continued walking towards Roy, limping on his injured leg. Roy slammed the gun across his face, and turned for the car. He quickly closed the door, but Red-head was there in a flash, slamming his face against the window. Button-up was also back on his feet, slowly shuffling towards the passenger side. _"What the hell am I supposed to do?" _Roy pulled the car into drive and sped off, quickly swerving to avoid the dead girl in the road.

"What the fuck was that?" shouted a panicked Aidan.

Roy said nothing as he checked the rear view mirror, and could see Red-head and Button-up trying to follow the car. He kept watching as they both stopped and turned back around, undoubtedly to finish making a meal of that poor girl.

"God, what the hell is going on in this town?" Roy thought aloud. Hopefully, there would be some answers at the R.P.D., or at least, some semblance of safety.


	5. Girls Night Out

"I'm gonna tear off all your flesh, tear it all off bit by bit. I'm gonna tear off all the flesh from your face, then I'll take a shit! Gonna rip FUCK, rip SHIT, rip FUCK, all night loooooong!"

The Cryptoz lyrical prowess had not improved at all since high school. In fact, the frequent drug use might have made them significantly worse. Elza had actually gone to high school with Glenn Chandra, who now went by the alias "Doc Formaldehyde" as he sang, or more accurately, screamed on stage. Whereas Elza went to college, Glenn brought his little garage band to the "next level" by playing shows in bars and failing miserably at replicating the success of the 1980s horror-punk band "The Misfits." Awful was an understatement when it came to The Cryptoz, but there was something humorously satisfying in seeing little Glennie Chandra parading around on stage with a skull painted on his face.

"We really should have just gone back to the hotel, babe. I could have just screamed in your ear for forty five minutes and given you the same effect as well… this," Serena said as she gestured towards the stage. "There isn't enough alcohol in Raccoon City to make these fuckers tolerable."

"Yeah, they're awful, but you've got to admit, it's pretty funny. I mean, just look at them."

Formaldehyde began to headbang onstage, while his guitarist, Mauze O'Liam, unleashed what might have been one of the worst guitar solos ever conceived by a human being, his fingers clumsily tripping over the strings of his instrument. Elza tapped Serena on the shoulder, and cocked her head to the door. She could almost see the relief in her best friend's eyes as they headed out for some fresh air. As they stepped outside, Serena pulled out what Elza had dubbed "an old lady cigarette." It was one of those long, thin cigarettes commonly seen in the claws of an old woman sitting at a gas station slot machine with oversized sunglasses. As she lit up, a very drunk Kelsey plowed through the bar's front door.

"Sooo, why you bishes leavin' me in there, huh?" Kelsey slurred, still holding on to a half empty Corona bottle, possibly her ninth.

"Oh my God, Kels, there is NO way you are driving us back to the motel. The last thing we need is to fucking die just when Elza got home. Keys… now young lady," Serena said, hand outstretched. The keys fell into her palm with a jingle, only to fall to the sidewalk as Serena jumped, startled by the load groan that pierced the night air.

"Jesus, what the hell was that?"

Elza spotted him first, a man standing in the empty doorway of the old movie theatre across the street. He slowly stumbled out, and Elza could see his crooked nose, which was spilling fresh blood onto his navy blue t-shirt and blue camouflage pants. The guy looked pretty beat up, his swollen face covered with bruises and cuts. He slowly shuffled towards them, arms outstretched, groaning.

"I don't like this guys, let's go back inside," Elza muttered quietly. Something about this man made her extremely nervous, tying her stomach in knots.

"What the fuck you want baby? You want some of this?" Kelsey screamed, pulling down her purple tube top and flashing the man. "Come on! Come get some hot stuff!"

"Jesus Christ, Kelsey, put those away; don't fucking provoke him! He's probably more shitfaced than you are," Serena snapped, pulling Kelsey's shirt over her exposed breasts. "Shit, Kels, he's fucking coming over here now."

"Guys, I really, REALLY don't like this. Can we just leave, please?" Elza whispered. "I don't want any trouble with this guy."

"Relax Elza, he's just some drunk. What's he going to do?"

The man drew closer, still dragging his feet as he stumbled towards the girls. "Hey big boy, come to give your girl Kelsey a kiss?" laughed Kelsey. He continued forward, grabbing a handful of Kelsey's hair and pulling her head back, digging his teeth into her throat. He pulled away a huge chunk of her throat, turning her sharp scream into a sickening gurgle. Wide-eyed, she grabbed at the gaping hole in her neck as she collapsed to the ground.

Elza and Serena stood frozen as the man tilted his bloody face towards them. Time seemed to slow to a near halt as he lunged towards Serena, arms outstretched, blood and saliva dripping from his gaping mouth. Elza could no longer feel the cool breeze against her face; her heart pumped ice cold blood through her veins. As he drew closer, she burst into action, her leg snapping out like a piston, smashing her boot into the crazed man's teeth. He lumbered backwards, his head hitting a streetlight as he fell to the ground.

"Hurry! Grab her before he gets back up!"

Elza and Serena each wrapped one of Kelsey's arms around their shoulders, and they could both feel her body become rapidly colder. They led her to her car, and laid her in the backseat. Serena took off her sweatshirt and bundled it up, compressing it over the remnants of Kelsey's windpipe. Elza jumped in the backseat with Kelsey, cradling her head in her lap.

"El-el-ugck-elll-" Kelsey attempted to say Elza's name, tears streaming down her cheeks as she coughed up blood. She was growing paler by the second; all the color in her face gradually dissipating, the front of her purple shirt stained a deep red. Serena jumped in the driver's seat, and the three sped off towards the motel.

* * *

The roads were a mess. Cars were crashed into each other. Buildings were on fire. The bodies of Raccoon City's citizens laid on the asphalt, eviscerated, mutilated, and destroyed. The bodies that weren't on the ground were on their feet, shuffling around just like the maniac by the pub. Serena drove past the carnage as well as she could, handling herself well throughout the chaos. Thankfully, the motel was not far from the pub, and Kelsey was still clinging onto life as Elza and Serena pulled the car up to the motel room.

The parking lot was chillingly quiet, as if it were another regular night in the city. Elza crawled out of the car, dragging Kelsey out with her. She used her free hand to grab her motel key from her pocket, tossing it to Serena.

"I can handle Kelsey. Go ahead and get the door open."

Serena caught the key and walked towards the door when a sharp clicking sound stopped her in her tracks. Elza turned, looking down the pathway, past each motel door. At the end of the sidewalk, there was a dog. She could faintly hear a rattling, guttural wheeze. It looked like a German Shepherd, but as it walked closed towards them, its claws clicking on the pavement, Elza realized it was not a normal dog. The dog's fur was wet and mangy, barely clinging to its body. Large chunks of flesh were ripped away from its torso, revealing the sinewy musculature beneath. One of its eyes was gone, the gaping socket merely a soulless black pit. Thick, bloody saliva oozed between the dog's bared teeth. It let out a struggled bark before charging towards them.

_"It'll only take him a few seconds to cover enough ground to get to us," _Elza thought, "Serena, get the door!"

The door flew open, and Elza dragged Kelsey inside, laying her down on the bed. Serena quickly slammed the door behind them, but not without catching the dog's head. Pinned between the door and its frame, the dog snapped its teeth and whipped about violently, flinging strings of drool and a viscous slime. Serena reopened the door and slammed the dog's skull in it. With a whimper, the dog backed off, giving her enough time to slam and lock the motel door. The dog slammed its body against the door, scratching at the wood with its claws. It continued for a few seconds before stopping abruptly. Serena put her ear to the door, and heard the claw-on-sidewalk clicks gradually fade away. _"Maybe he's found someone else to torment…"_

Suddenly, the window shattered. Elza screamed.


	6. No Vacancy

Broken shards of glass showered into the room as the dog flew through the window. Fresh blood dribbled from its broken head, each droplet staining the crisp beige carpet. It bared its teeth, snarling at Elza. She had less than a second to react before the dog jumped towards her; paws outstretched, jaws snapping. She grabbed the bedside table and held it in front of her. The dog hit hard, knocking Elza off of her feet. The bedside table held the dog back, shielding Elza as it viciously tried to snap at her face.

Serena spotted a gleam of metal around the dog's neck: a collar. She ran at the dog, tightly wrapping both of her hands around the chain. With all of her strength, she threw the dog off of Elza, slamming it against the wall. With a new threat in sight, the dog switched its focus onto Serena, suddenly springing towards her. She only had time to throw up her arms before its ravenous jaws reached her, taking her to the floor and tightly biting down on her forearm. She screamed.

Elza hurried back to her feet, still holding onto the bedside table. She swung it at the dog, making firm contact with its thick skull. Unfazed, the dog continued to rip away at Serena's forearm. Again and again, Elza smashed the table onto the dog's head. Suddenly, it released Serena's arm, and turned quickly towards Elza. It hunched down low, snarling, blood oozing from its rotting mouth, the wounds on its head painting its face a dark crimson. With a struggled bark, it pounced at her.

Two firm cracks exploded in the air, and the dog hit Elza. As she hurried to push it off, she noticed it was no longer moving. A bullet hole rested just above its empty eye socket, and the other shot passed cleanly through the dog's cheek. She shoved the body off to the side, only to see a figure standing in the window.

He was still holding his gun, probably scanning the room for more dogs, or zombies, or God knows what else. He was of average height, and athletic build, clad in a very familiar Raccoon Police Department uniform, "R.P.D." proudly emblazoned in white on his Kevlar vest. He had shaggy brown hair, messily combed into a part. He had a youthful, kind face, but the green eyes behind his thin-rimmed glasses quivered nervously as he slowly lowered his pistol.

"Is everybody okay? Are any of you hurt?"

He stopped as he spotted Kelsey's prone body laying on the bed. Elza had all but forgotten her friend once the dog jumped through the window. Her eyes were closed, but she was still breathing, albeit faintly, still feebly holding the bundled sweatshirt against her throat. Elza turned back to the man in the window as he slowly crawled in, carefully minding the broken glass.

"My name is Officer Roy Jones." He walked over to Elza, placing his boot underneath the dog's torso, kicking it to check for any last sign of life. He then offered a hand to Elza, helping her back up to her feet. She kept her hand held within his, the warmth comforting.

"My name's Elza, Elza Walker," she said, giving his hand a squeeze. "Thanks for saving me. This is my friend Serena, and on the bed," Elza paused, "That's my friend Kelsey. Some crazy asshole attacked her."

"Pleasure to meet you," said Roy. Serena acknowledged him with a nod, wincing as she held her wounded arm. Roy turned to the open window, "It's all clear, she's fine!"

Another man slowly crept through the window, tightly gripping a pump-action shotgun in one hand. Elza recognized his forest green blazer the second she saw it. "Aidan…" She ran across the room, embracing her brother as soon as he got through the window. "Oh my God, Aidan! I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Same here, sis, same here. I'm glad to see you're okay," Aidan said, squeezing his sister tightly. "I was so worried once all of this started happening. I'm glad I ran into Officer Jones. Without him, I don't know how I could have gotten here in time. That dog…he might have-"

Elza sharply cut him off. "Don't…worry about that. You're here, and that's what matters. Don't think about the mights or the could haves. You're here, we're both alive; that's what matters." Elza smiled, slugging her brother's arm, "Don't be such a worry wart." She looked back up at her brother, seeing only a blank expression as his eyes were focused on the bed. Instantly, she knew. "Oh God…Kelsey."

She let go of Aidan, and turned towards the bed. Roy was standing over Kelsey, his fingers checking her wrist for a pulse. He slowly shook his head, removing his hand from her wrist as it limply slumped over the side of the bed. Her eyes were still closed, her mouth slightly open. Her once tanned skin was deprived of all color, all life replaced with a dead, pale white. Elza slowly walked over to her, and covered her still body with the comforter. "I can't believe this is happening." She wiped away tears welling in her eyes. She looked at Serena, overcome with sadness.

There was a gentle moan from underneath the comforter. No one could move. The room was stagnant, the silence suffocating. Slowly, the blankets fell back as Kelsey sat up on the bed. She uttered another soulless moan before looking at Roy, and quickly clawing at him. He took a step back, keeping his pistol trained on her.

Serena screamed, "No! You can't shoot her! She's our fucking friend, God dammit!" Roy firmly put his arm in front of her, holding her back, still keeping his gun on Kelsey.

"Something has to be done. I can't see her like this." Elza grabbed the shotgun from Aidan's hands. She had to put her friend to rest. Elza screamed, "KELSEY!" Her former friend looked at her, eyes devoid of life. "That's not Kelsey, she's gone. Long gone." She raised the barrel, biting her lip as she held her tears back. "I'm so sorry, sweetie."

The blast was deafening, an eruption of noise in the sickening silence. In an instant, Kelsey's head was obliterated, torn apart by the buckshot. Her headless body slammed against the mattress. The headboard was splattered with blood, chunks of Kelsey's dirty blonde hair stuck to the wood. Smoke gently rose from the shotgun barrel. The room was silent once more, now with an air of quiet solemnity.

Elza handed the gun back to her brother. Her voice was shaky as he fought back tears. "So…where are we going?"

"Oh, um…well, after all of… this, it's safe to say we need some guns." Everyone's eyes were trained on the floor, no one could look at the bed. "There's a gun shop pretty close to here. I'd feel a lot safer if each of us had something to defend ourselves with," Roy said.

"Sounds like a plan, Officer."

Everyone began to slowly leave the motel room. Roy left last, looking back at the room once more. He had never been this afraid before, not in his entire life. "I've got to be strong. For Elza. For everyone." He shut off the lights and closed the door.


	7. Trouble on the Road

Roy stopped dead in his tracks. _"Shit. The mechanic." _He had forgotten all about the detained mechanic in the back seat of the squad car. "Everybody, wait here." Nobody replied, still in shock from Kelsey's death in the motel room. Roy slowly approached the car, pistol clenched tightly in his hand. He threw open the back door to the car.

The mechanic tumbled out, his face slamming against the cool asphalt. Roy quickly flipped him onto his back, tightly pinning him to the ground with a boot to the throat. "Please...if there's anything remotely human in there, say something. Anything." The mechanic replied with nothing more than feral growls and moans as he thrashed against the ground, feebly reaching for Roy, gnashing his broken teeth. "God dammit."

He fired a round into the mechanic's forehead, splattering blood and chunks of brain matter against the parking lot. His eyes remained on Roy, a soulless and empty gaze, before his body fell slack underneath his boot. There was so much Roy needed to think about, so much he needed to feel right now. He had just taken a human life. A perfectly unassuming human being now laid destroyed in a parking lot underneath his boot. Roy held everything back. Now was not the time. He looked up at Elza; he needed to stay calm, "Everybody…in the car."

* * *

Once everyone was in the car, Roy quickly made sure that all of the doors were locked. He turned to Serena in the passenger seat, eying her injured forearm. "Is your arm doing okay?"

"I'll live. It hurts, but I'm fine," she said, forcing a stifled smile.

He returned the smile, and grabbed his pack of cigarettes from his pocket and put one in his mouth. "Anybody mind?" he asked, before lighting it.

Elza chuckled a bit, "Go right ahead. Gotta warn you though, I'm gonna have to bust your ass for every cigarette you smoke. I've been harassing Aidan to quit for months." Like clockwork, Aidan smiled and nodded at Elza before lighting a cigarette of his own.

Roy rolled down his window, clicking his lighter until it brought a tiny flame to life. "I've tried quitting. No matter what, it just keeps coming back to me." He took a few short drags until the cigarette was lit, then released a cloud of smoke from his lips.

"I've tried a cigarette before. Serena's my witness. I took a hit and, well, I kind of threw up."

Serena laughed through gritted teeth. "I held her hair back."

"I may not be able to smoke them, but honestly, I love the smell. It reminds of my dad. Growing up, our house always reeked of smoke. It might sound ridiculous, but that smell just takes me back to those days, y'know? I always eat in the smoking sections at restaurants, just to get that memory of my dad."

Roy smiled, "That's cute, I like that," he thought aloud. He quickly regretted his words. _"Shit, now she's going to think I'm a creep. Nice one Roy…real nice." _He slowly shifted his eyes to his rear view mirror, trying to eye Elza's reaction. She certainly didn't seem freaked out, and if he wasn't mistaken, he could have sworn that she was blushing. Relieved, Roy exhaled deeply, smoke floating out the window. Relief became shock as he slammed on the brakes.

The car stopped barely a foot away from a downed truck. It was massive, akin to the armored trucks that shipped money off to banks. It was on its side in the middle of the road, a massive hole torn through its side. Sharp strips of steel flanked the hole, like an industrial flower in bloom. "What the fuck happened here?"

One of Raccoon City's rabid citizens was near the truck, a middle-aged woman, shuffling towards the truck's destroyed windshield. A gunshot cracked, and the woman fell to the ground. Roy got out of the car to investigate.

He unholstered his own pistol, cautiously approaching the truck. "Hey, you alive in there? You aren't crazy like the rest of them, are you?"

"Couldya just get me the FUCK out of here? God, this fucking hurts so bad…"

Roy jogged to the front of the truck, kneeling down to peek through the windshield. The driver was pinned in the car, dangling from his seatbelt. His face was badly scraped, blood smeared across his shaved head. He groaned as he looked over at Roy, pointing his handgun in his direction. "Jesus, what happened?" Roy was joined by Elza, Serena, and Aidan.

"That's nobody's business but mine. Now, could you get me outta here before more of 'em come? I don't wanna be stuck here when th-" He stopped short, his gaze fixed on Serena, particularly her arm. "No. NO. All of you get the fuck away from me. Get the fuck outta here!"

"Whoa, whoa, what's the matter? We're just trying to help!" Elza pleaded.

Furious, the driver spat, "I don't want your fucking help! Don't you get it? She's been bitten! She don't got long before she's as fucked as the rest of this goddamn town. I mean it, I FUCKING mean it. Get away from me, or I'll blow all of you away!"

The group backed away from the truck, but the driver continued to shout. "What are you talking about? She got attacked by a dog, but she's fine!" said Elza.

"Fine? FINE? She ain't fine, doll, anything but. Give it a few hours, and just you wait. You-"

The driver's tirade was cut short. Something had grabbed him from behind; thick muscular arms were around his shoulders, slender black fingers were wrapped around his face. He began to scream as the hands contorted, twisting his head on his own shoulders. As it turned further and further, his pinched larynx turned his shouts into a dry shrill scream. His head was finally pulled off, and thrown from the truck, bouncing across the asphalt. His assailant crawled out of the devastated vehicle.

It stood close to five feet tall, with stray patches of black fur scattered across its body. It looked like a normal monkey, except that it's larger muscles had ripped through its flesh, exposing dark red sinew. Blood was dripping from each garnet eye, and its lips were tattered, gnarled brown teeth peeking through them. On it's neck, it appeared to have a large tumor-like growth, bulging, pushing its chin upwards. It thrust its head forward, the growth under its throat inflated, and it unleashed an awful guttural howl.

Roy steadied his handgun, and shot at it three times, each bullet slamming into the ape's hide. It remained unfazed, and swung a meaty arm at Roy's face. He doubled back, slamming against the ground. Elza dashed towards the truck, grabbing the headless driver's pistol. The monkey drew closer, ready to slam its fists into Roy's face. He fired a round into the growth on it's neck. It howled in pain, and the tumor seemed to deflate, spilling viscous blood onto the ground. It let out a struggled howl, blood gurgling in its throat. Elza crept up behind it and put the barrel of the gun atop its head. She fired off two shots, straight into its skull. The monkey let out a defeated groan, its bloodshot eyes rolling upwards. It's body crumpled to the ground, and Elza offered Roy a hand.

"Thanks, my ass would have been done."

She smiled, "It's the least I can do." She offered Roy a hand, and helped him off the ground. Aidan, who was digging around in the truck, emerged with a clipboard.

"It looks like this was a transport unit. This paper says the guy was a driver for Umbrella."

"Umbrella?"

"Yeah, here's what it says: '_B.O.W. units scheduled for termination: 1. PR-101, codename 'Pawn,' ten specimens. 2. PR-199, codename 'Bishop,' five specimens.. 3. PR-326, codename 'Rook,' one specimen. All specimens due for termination immediately_.' Whatever this thing was, it seems like there's a whole messload more of them."

Everyone was silent. Elza held up an arm, her fingers crossed, "Well, here's hoping we don't happen to run into them."

Roy smiled, "Amen to that. Let's get back in the car."

The group walked back to the squad car, Serena tailing behind. She carefully held her wounded arm. The wound began to itch. _"What did he mean? What's this bite going to do to me?" _


	8. The Power of the Bite

She tried to think positively, but it didn't help. The truck driver's words had stuck with Serena, and filled her only with more and more questions. For the first time in her life, Serena felt as if she could not even trust her own body, and the feeling was horrendous. She said very little as they began to drive. Roy carefully maneuvered around the downed truck. Serena was beginning to feel a bit feverish, and the wound on her arm was becoming increasingly itchy.

Suddenly, it hit her. The image of Kelsey was burned into her mind: her pale skin, the film over her eyes, the god forbidden moans that bellowed from her throat. She had been bitten too. Without thinking, her fingers began scratch at her arm. It hurt terribly, but the pain didn't faze her. She was frozen with fear, the fear of becoming the same thing that Kelsey had. She could hear voices in the car, but they were drowned out, she couldn't understand what they were saying. She jumped when Elza's hand touched her shoulder, her fingers burning against her skin.

"Serena, you okay sweetie?"

She nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine." She lied. She had never been more scared in her life. In the backseat, Aidan was examining the clipboard that they found by the truck.

"So, according to this, that truck was transporting another fifteen of those monkey creatures. I'm thinking that thing we killed is the least of our worries. The sheet says there are ten 'Pawns,' five 'Bishops,' and only one 'Rook.' We'll keep track of what we come across, but I'm just going to assume that we killed a 'Pawn.' It seemed pretty small, and doesn't really fit the title of a 'Bishop' or a 'Rook.'"

"Assumptions aside," Elza chimed in, "I think we're really unprepared between the four of us, only having two guns. Are we still going to the gun store you mentioned earlier, Roy?"

"Heading there as we speak," Roy grinned. "We're not too far. It's just a stone's throw away from the police station." Serena put a hand on Roy's forearm. Her voice was shaky, and her eyes shifting.

"R-Roy, uh, can we make a stop before the gun store? I, I really need to use a restroom. I'm not feeling too great."

Elza pointed out the window, "Yeah, there should be one right there, at Maurizio's. It wouldn't put us out of our way."

"Yeah, of course. That's fine." Roy pulled the car over in the restaurant's parking lot. "Elza, Aidan, stay here in the car. I'll go with Serena in case there's anything inside." He pulled his handgun from its holster. "You ready?"

Serena nodded, and quickly grabbed a pair of handcuffs from Roy's glove compartment. She held onto them tightly, so the rattling chain wouldn't make a sound. She snuck them in her pocket as she stepped out of the car.

"Come back safe, okay?" Elza said, offering a slight smile from the backseat. Serena forced a smile in return, and turned her back to the car, walking away with Roy.

* * *

Maurizio's had been trashed. The once quaint Italian eatery looked like it had been under siege. Tables were overturned, food and broken plates covered the ground, and a red pick-up truck had driven through one of the walls, a human body trapped beneath its tires. Roy carefully scoped out the restaurant. Every body on the floor was unmoving, and he couldn't detect a single sign of any shuffling, flesh-hungry maniacs. He and Serena made it to the corner of the restaurant, and he kicked open the door to the women's restroom. It too, was desolate. Roy turned to her and nodded, and she slipped inside. Handgun at the ready, Roy stood near the closed door. Wanting to give Serena some privacy, he proceeded to check out the restaurant.

It may have been quiet now, but it had certainly been chaos before. Roy peeked into the kitchen, and it was a bloody mess. What was left of the chef was propped in the corner, completely eviscerated. Half eaten intestines were hanging from his considerable gut. A waitress was lying next to him, clutching some of his intestines in her blood-soaked hands. A cleaver was embedded deep within her face.

There was a crash; something breaking in the bathroom. Roy turned quickly, his heart in his throat. "Serena, you alright in there?" There was no response. He quickly paced over to the women's bathroom. "Serena, I'm coming in, alright?" He pushed the door open with his shoulder, and quickly put his hand to his mouth. The sight was horrific.

* * *

"Aidan, you ass! Tell me you're joking. You BETTER be joking." Elza held a threatening finger in her brother's face.

"I kid you not. When we get out of here, I am snorting a monumental amount of coke." Elza sharply slugged his shoulder. "Ow, hey! You wanted honesty! Haha, what about you? What's the first thing you're doing once we get out of this mess?"

"I really don't know. I guess I've never been one to think that far ahead. I'll probably need a day's worth of sleep."

Aidan chuckled, but it quickly subsided when he noticed Roy leaving the restaurant. "Hey, Roy's back…where's Serena?" He looked deathly pale, and his shaking hands were attempting to light a cigarette. Elza noticed too, and she stepped out of the car.

"Roy, is everything okay?" Worry began to seep into her voice, "Where's Serena?"

Roy's voice sounded defeated. "I think you both should come with me."

Elza and Aidan obliged without question, jogging from the car over to Roy. He led them towards the bathroom, walking slowly, ashamedly, like a child caught breaking a rule. He pushed open the bathroom door. Elza stifled a scream.

There was blood everywhere. Serena was sprawled out in the middle of the bathroom, her arm handcuffed to the pipe below the sink. The mirror had been shattered, and a clunky metal trash can laid nearby. Serena still had a shard of the mirror in her hand. Her throat was slashed wide open, and the blood had spilled everywhere. Her lifeless eyes were open, fixated on the ceiling.

"It was that fucker, wasn't it? That bastard in the truck! He got her thinking, and now she, oh God…Serena…" Elza was numb. First it was Kelsey, now Serena. She was slowly losing everyone that ever mattered in her life. She fought crying with all of her might, but a few tears streamed their way down her face.

There was a gurgle from Serena's prone body. She sat up. She was just like Kelsey, just like everyone else in Raccoon City. She tried to stand, but the handcuffs prevented her, pulling her back to the ground. The mirror shard fell from her hand, clattering to the bloody tile. Her arm was outstretched, reaching towards her old friend. Blood oozed from her lips as she emitted a hollow groan.

Roy was solemn. "Elza. What do you want me to do?" Serena continued to struggle, needing their flesh. She snapped her teeth and snarled. "Please, tell me."

Elza felt completely defeated. She wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve. "It's not Serena anymore. She would never forgive me if I left her like this."

Roy nodded. He knew what to do. He approached Serena, cautiously avoiding her grasp. He raised the pistol, leveling it with her head, his finger steady on the trigger. "I'm so sorry."

The handgun erupted, blasting through Serena's forehead. The exit wound sent a spray of blood against the wall. The empty shell clattered against the floor, and Serena's body fell limp, her arm still hanging from the piping. Roy took a set of a keys from his pocket, and unlocked the cuffs, folding Serena's arms across her chest.

He turned to Elza, "Elza, I'm so sorr-" He couldn't finish. Elza was buried in his chest, sobbing. All of her friends were gone. He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her in close.


	9. Happiness is a Warm Gun

Aidan didn't know what to do. He watched as his sister sobbed in Roy's arms. Her two best friends had died within the last hour. Creatures that seemed too nightmarish to be real roamed the streets of his hometown. Everything had changed; everything was different. _"Is there any hope? Is there hope for any of us?" _He dropped his eyes to the floor, and rested a hand on Elza's shoulder. Her friends were gone. She needed the time to mourn, but now was not the time, not while their lives were in severe danger.

"Elza…Roy," Aidan sighed, "We've got to get out of here. We need to get those guns."

Roy looked up, his compassionate green eyes solemn, and dark. "Yeah. We really should go." He gave Elza a final squeeze before releasing her.

She wiped the tears from her face onto her sleeve. She glanced once more towards the bathroom, offering her friend a final farewell. "I love you Serena. I'm so sorry…" They left the restaurant, but immediately stopped as soon as they opened the front door.

There was a group of four infected shuffling past Roy's squad car, slowly heading towards the restaurant's entrance. Before either Roy or Aidan could react, Elza stepped forward, boldly moving towards the infected.

"No. No more running. No more being scared. If we have to fight for our lives, then God dammit, let's fucking fight for them."

Elza charged towards the first infected, a middle-aged man in a stained white dress shirt and black pants. His once nicely parted hair was now messy and disheveled, and his cracked lips were surrounded by a ring of dried blood. He grew anxious with her approach, his arms reaching towards her as his lumbering pace quickened. Elza ducked down, and quickly darted left, effectively faking him out. Now, she stood behind him, and delivered a sharp kick to the back of his head, sending him face first onto the pavement. Roy and Aidan leapt into action, not far behind Elza. Aidan stood over the downed zombie, and destroyed his head with a point blank shotgun blast.

Elza was already proceeding to take down another infected, this one a young Hispanic man. He was downed just as quickly with another swift roundhouse kick to the head. Roy approached a black man in a tan plumber's jumpsuit. He groaned, the familiar lifeless moan of the flesh-hungry infected. With his handgun ready, he quickly dropped the plumber with a clean shot to the head, his body slamming against the hood of the car before slumping to the ground. He turned, adjusting his aim downward, finishing off the downed Hispanic man with another quick shot to the head.

Elza took the last infected, an older man wearing a blood-soaked, olive green sweater. She slammed his head against the side of the car. She then wrapped her hands around the man's head as he feebly snapped his teeth at her. She twisted as hard as she could, and the zombie's moans were quickly silenced. Neck snapped, the man in the olive green sweater dropped to the asphalt.

Elza hardly had a moment to breath, and was startled by a slam against the hood of the police car. There was another ape, standing over her on top of the car. This one looked just like the one before it, with the same bulbous sac pulsating by its throat. Elza instinctively ducked down, and before it could let out a single howl, it was launched off the roof by a booming shotgun blast. It twisted and writhed in the street before its body slowly relaxed and went limp.

Elza slowly stood back up, regaining her composure. She deeply exhaled, "Gun shop?"

Roy shook his head and smiled, amazed by the girl's resilience. "Yeah. Gun shop."

* * *

Thankfully, the drive to the gun shop had been rather uneventful. Only one more infected ape had shown up in the middle of the street, which Roy quickly ran down with his car. As its body spiraled past the windshield, there was a brief silence, followed by an explosion of hysterical laughter. Throughout the morbid events of the evening, the brief satisfaction in seeing the hellish monkey fly through the air was absolutely hilarious.

They arrived, greeted by a sign saying "Gun Shop: Kendo" in bold letters, the Kendo lettered with an Asian flair. There was Jeep parked in front of the store, so Roy parked behind it. As he stepped out of the car, his stomach sank, disappointment settling in.

The store's front window was shattered, and Roy could see several figures stumbling in the store. He got back in the car. "Roy, what's wrong?" Elza asked.

Roy remained silent, and reversed the car back into the street. He turned back to Aidan and Elza. "Buckle your seatbelts, and hold on to something." The two nodded braced themselves, and Roy slammed the gas pedal, ramming the car through the storefront and slamming into the three wandering infected. He looked back at Elza and Aidan. "Are you guys alright?"

"Yeah, in one piece. Not sure I want you driving anymore though," Aidan mumbled, holding a hand to his forehead. Roy smiled, then stepped out of the car.

The squad car had caused some serious damage to the shop. The door was obliterated, reduced to splinters, and the floor was covered with chunks of the now-destroyed wall. One of the infected was still under the car, partially crushed by one of the tires. The other two had been propelled across the store, one of them lying in one of the smashed glass display cases, and the other crumpled against the back wall.

There was an eviscerated body lying in the middle of the floor, and upon closer inspection, Roy realized in was the store's owner, Robert Kendo. Roy sighed with disappointment. Kendo supplied a lot of custom firearms for the Raccoon Police force, and was just a good guy all in all. His pudgy face, formerly known for its kind eyes and warm smile, was fixed in a painful grimace. It was a shame to see that a man like Robert Kendo had suffered such a fate. Roy kneeled down to the body, and closed Kendo's eyes. As he looked up, he could see that most of the guns were wired to the walls. He walked towards his trunk and opened it, producing a pair of wire-cutters. As Elza stepped out of the car, he tossed the wire-cutters to her. "Cut loose," Roy said with a smile.

They made their choices quickly. Aidan went straight for the display case, grabbing two nine millimeter handguns. He still had Roy's shotgun from the squad car, so he slung it around his shoulder. He started filling the pockets of his green blazer with boxes of handgun rounds, while Roy selected his weapons of choice.

He grabbed a snub-nosed revolver from the case, a .38 caliber. Roy's father had been a huge Country-Western aficionado, and as the six-shooter rested in his hand, it made him think of his dad. Throughout all of this madness, he hoped that his parents were faring well, and were still surviving. He quickly put the thought of his family aside, grabbing a shotgun for himself, an older looking double-barrel that felt heavy, but also nice and reliable.

Elza used the wire-cutters to remove a scoped, bolt-action rifle from the wall. She held the rifle up, peeking through the scope and lining up the sights. Elza silently thanked her parents for fostering her tomboyish nature, and letting her go out to the shooting range as a young girl. _"Never would I ever have thought this would come in any sort of handy…" _For extra caution, she also grabbed a pistol for herself, not wanting to rely fully on the rifle.

Their shopping spree was interrupted a low groan from the middle of the shop. The deceased Robert Kendo was slowly getting to his feet. As he rose, his intestines and an assortment of half-chewed organs fell from the gaping hole in his torso, slapping against the floor with a nauseating thud. Roy steadied his new revolver, leveling it with Kendo's face. _"I'm so sorry Mister Kendo." _The round hit him directly in the eye. He jerked a bit, his arms stiffening, before he dropped to the ground, dead once again.

The room was silent, Roy still staring at the former gun store owner's prone body. Elza finally spoke. "So, Roy, is the car still okay, or would we be better off just walking instead?"

He broke his focus away from Kendo, and began to respond, only to be startled by a deafening roar from outside the shop. Elza didn't know what to make of it. _"It sounds like…like some kind of dinosaur." _There was another roar, this one sharper and more distinct, accompanied by heavy, plodding footsteps. _"Whatever it is…it's coming closer."_


	10. Remus

The creature lurched into sight, eying Roy, Elza, and Aidan through the broken window. It was massive, standing at least nine feet tall. It had a vaguely human body, but the similarities ended there. If this thing had been human, a great deal had changed. A massive grey shell covered its back, ending at the top of its head. It looked like a giant meteor had slammed into the monster, its shell spotted with craters and adorned with spiked protrusions. Its long tail was swaying back and forth, the tip of it bearing a large, blade-like stinger. Although the shell obscured most of its face, Elza could still make out an almost crocodile-like visage with tiny slits for eyes, and a mouth filled with needle-sharp teeth. Wedged between the shell and its shoulder, a bulbous orange eyeball sat, its tiny pupil scanning the room. _"I can't believe this. There's no way this…this thing can be standing here. Things like this don't exist!"_ Elza pleaded to herself. The creature reared its head back, and released an ungodly roar. It thrust its arms back, baring its claws, and began to charge.

Elza turned to Roy. He spoke quickly, "Run, just fucking run."

* * *

Remus had a very simple, yet efficient thought process. He didn't have the cohesive ability to make moral decisions, nor any semblance of reasoning. All he wanted to do was kill. If he was hungry, he would kill for food. If he was not hungry, then he would kill anyways. It was instinctual, a desire that he could never satiate. Right now, he was hungry, and three fresh pieces of food were before him. He blindly charged, planning to take the food by surprise. After he felt his shell smash against the wall; he realized that he didn't kill the food. They were nowhere to be seen.

He turned, and barely caught a glimpse of one of them running away, leaving the building. Buildings infuriated Remus. He didn't know why. Sometimes, if he tried really hard, he could almost hear a voice inside of his head. It was almost as if things had been different before; as if he hadn't always been Remus. It almost felt like he had been like the food before: small and weak. The few trace memories that Remus could recall all had buildings in them. He didn't know why, but he hated them. Especially the building with the red and white sign.

Something about that sign, that building, made him want to kill even more. It made him want to destroy. Even thinking about it, even trying to understand these abstract memories, scared Remus. It scared him, and made him want to destroy more, because then, he was in control. No memories, no voices, no red and white sign. He smashed everything that he could in the building where the food had been hiding. Then, he left the building. He could still see food. They were far away now, but Remus was fast. He would catch them. He would catch them, kill them, and eat them. And everything would be okay.

* * *

Roy's heart was in danger of beating its way out of his chest. He was trailing behind the group as they sprinted, wanting to be sure that everyone was safely in front of him. They had put a lot of distance between themselves and this new creature, but it was quickly gaining on them. It was deceptively fast despite its bulky shell. It ran on two legs, and occasionally pulled itself forward with its massive arms, giving it a distinct speed advantage. Roy turned and shot at it, but the round merely chipped against its shell. Unless they could manage a shot at its well-protected body, they didn't stand a chance. It was getting dangerously close. _"There is no way we can outrun it. We've gotta do something else," _Roy thought, attempting to keep composure. It was only a few feet away, as it reared back a clawed hand.

"Everybody move!"

Elza and Aidan both dove in opposite directions, narrowly avoiding its claws as they clanged against the ground. It was still charging, so it barreled past them. Elza pointed to the nearest building, and they all ran for it, exploiting the creature's brief weakness. They opened the door and quickly shut it. They paused, waiting by the door in complete silence. There was no sign of it nearby.

Roy whispered, "As long as we stay quiet, we should be able to lose him. I don't think the thing is all too bright. So, let's just wait here for a while, until he goes and finds some zombies to snack on, alright?"

Elza smiled, and nodded. There was an inhuman gasp from behind them. They slowly turned around, finally realizing that they were hiding in a floral shop. The lights were out, and flowers were scattered all along the ground. Elza could barely make out a shape in the back of the store. It slowly shuffled forward, walking into a patch of light that the window allowed from the streetlights outside. He looked mostly human, like the zombies they had been dealing with all night long. He was shirtless, his bare chest dotted with bullet holes. His hands were replaced with brutish claws, no longer resembling human hands. His skin was blood red, and his eyes were a filmy white. His brain was almost completely exposed, squeezing out the top of his head. As he wandered closer, his jaw dropped open, and an unnaturally long tongue spilled from his mouth. It swayed back and forth, touching the shelves and walls; searching.

_"Jesus Christ…it can't see." _Aidan realized. He looked at Roy and Elza, gesturing at his own eyes. He could tell that they understood, and they grew all the more silent. Suddenly, there was a crash from outside. The long-tongued man turned towards the door, and his tongue slapped against Aidan's leg. His sightless eyes locked on him, and he reeled his tongue back, swinging it like a whip. The attack was quick, and the tongue slashed at Aidan's face, leaving a thin gash across his cheek. Roy and Elza responded quickly, each of them drawing their pistols and aiming them at his exposed brain. Each of their bullets hit their marks, splattering the creature's brain against the window. His tongue fell slack, and he dropped to the ground.

The wall suddenly exploded. Debris flew into the air as the door, the window, the wall, everything collapsed as the giant shelled creature burst into the floral shop. Roy, Elza, and Aidan, all went flying, landing hard on the tile floor. It looked down at the long-tongued man's body, somewhat disinterested. With a roar, it whipped its tail forward, slicing the corpse in half at the waist. It then turned on them, the unblinking orange eye's gaze fixed on their position. Once again, the beast stood before them, and once again, they were cornered.


	11. The Sewers

Remus knew he could do it. The food was trapped, and there was no way that they would escape him again. He grew eager, excited to rend them limb from limb; to feel their warm blood spill down his throat. He raised a claw, and approached the smallest of the food: the Female. He wasn't sure how he knew the food's gender. The strange voice from another life seemed to know. That didn't matter. She was food, and nothing else. Suddenly, there was a white hot explosion of pain. Remus howled in agony. The Female had done something to his eye; she had hurt him. Remus put both hands to his face, hiding his injuries. He could hear the food escaping again. He didn't feel the pain anymore. All Remus could feel was pure, unbridled fury. They hurt him, and now, they were going to die.

* * *

Elza's rifle round hit the massive creature directly in its eye. It reeled back in pain, its bladed tail swinging wildly as it bellowed, holding its claws to its damaged face. The window of opportunity was open. Elza, Roy, and Aidan fled the destroyed floral shop, leaving the injured creature behind.

"Sewers! He can't follow us there!" Aidan shouted, pointing at an opened manhole cover in the middle of the street. Without hesitation, they all ran towards it. Roy stood guard, allowing Aidan and Elza to descend first. He took a final, fleeting glance back, just to see the beast barrel through the florist's, destroying what was left of the entrance. Roy quickly ducked into the manhole, hoping that he had evaded the creature's sight.

They all met at the bottom, and began to run along the concrete walkway. Their footsteps echoed through the dimly lit tunnel. Small blue fixtures were perched at the top of the tunnel, filling it with a dimmed, hazy fluorescence. They made it a good forty feet away from the manhole before they stopped running, attempting to catch their bearings.

Trying to catch his breath, Roy panted, "Everybody alright?"

Elza grimaced. "Yeah, aside from the stink. I mean, I know it's supposed to smell down here, but Jesus…"

Aidan chuckled as lit a cigarette. "The fine smell of shit could be our godsend. Maybe it won't follow us down here." Exhaling the smoke, he observed their surroundings. The ceiling was a good twelve feet high, and constructed of carefully arranged grey brick. There was another walkway parallel to the one they were standing on, and in between the walkways was a stream of murky water, whose contents were better left assumed. The ceiling was lined with an array of cords which hung loosely from the ceiling and connected to each light fixture. Periodic bridges connected the walkways every twenty feet or so, and a heavy support beam sat above each bridge.

Taking in the new surroundings, Aidan hadn't heard his attacker approach until cold arms wrapped around his shoulders. The groan was right next to his ear, and he could feel beads of saliva dripping onto his neck as the zombie's jaws drew closer and closer. Aidan did his best to push his attacker back with his shoulders, ridding himself of his blazer in the process. The man was wearing a sewer attendant's outfit, with a yellow hardhat sitting atop his head. He had the same sickly pallor that the other infected had, and his soulless eyes were trained on Aidan. He dropped Aidan's blazer, and drew forward for another attack. Roy stepped forward, pistol ready. He swung the gun upwards, knocking the former attendant's helmet off. He then steadied his arm, and fired a round point blank into his exposed forehead. Blood dribbled down his vacant face as his body tumbled off of the walkway, and into the waste below.

"God dammit. I liked that coat."

"Once we're out of here, I'll buy you five coats." Elza smirked.

Aidan took a relieved drag from his cigarette. "I'm holding you to that."

There was a loud rumble from the streets above. Again, another pound. Debris fell from the open manhole, landing in the water below with a splash. There was a third crash, this one much louder as the manhole gave way. The creature smashed through the asphalt, and landed in the sewers. It's crocodile head turned, scanning the area with it's one good eye. The horrific orange eye on its shoulder was rotating wildly, attempting to adjust to the new lighting. The trio had already began to run, their shoes against the concrete ground alerting the beast. It let out another unearthly roar, and charged.

"We're trapped. We're fucking trapped!" Aidan panicked.

Elza kept her composure, calmly picking out anything that could possibly help them escape. She eyed one of the blue fixtures as she ran under it, and her eyes followed the line of cords that trailed along the ceiling. They were secure, but lined up almost evenly with the water between the walkways. She could probably manage to climb up to one of the horizontal support beams with a little help. She was steadily approaching one of the bridges, and slowed down.

"Roy! I need a boost!"

He turned towards her voice, his face contorted in confusion. "Why the hell are you stopping?"

"Just help me out!"

Roy sprinted to Elza's side, and cupped his hands. Elza stepped up quickly, and Roy raised his arms, helping her up. She grabbed unto the support beam, and hoisted herself up. She was standing, and the cords were within her reach. She looked down the tunnel, and could see the monster getting closer. She reached up with both gloved hands and grabbed a handful of cords. With a quick jerk, they broke from their flimsy metal restraints and fell slack in Elza's hands. The creature was only a few meters away from Aidan and Roy, who waited on the bridge beneath her.

"HEY! HEY UP HERE! LOOK UP HERE YOU BIG PIECE OF SHIT!"

It looked up at her as if it recognized her. It slowed its breakneck pace to a quick walk, stalking towards her like a jungle cat approaching its prey. Roy and Aidan slowly crept away from the bridge, making it to the walkway across from the creature.

"Sis, I hope you've got a plan up there."

Elza muttered to herself. "You know it."

The creature stopped, its glance never leaving Elza. It watched her for a moment, then roared, raising its clawed hand. It jumped into the air and swung. The claws barely missed Elza, making contact with the stone ceiling, leaving defined claw marks. The creature's failed attack also managed to cut several of the cords from the ceiling. Holding one of the sparking cords, Elza jumped down from the support beam and back onto the bridge, holding tightly to the damaged cord. She sprinted down the bridge and onto the walkway, stopping right across from the monster. The lights above them had gone out, but she could still make out where the creature was standing. It didn't move, but simply continued to watch her.

She tried provoking it. "What's the matter, huh? You don't want me anymore? Fresh meat, right here! C'mon!"

"Elza, are you out of your fucking mind?" Aidan shouted. Roy stood silent, observing.

"It's a trap. She's tricking it."

Roy ran to Elza's side, and joined her. "C'mon you fucker! You gonna pass up the opportunity? Two for one, you son of a bitch!" He raised his pistol, hardly aiming, and shot at the creature, the round burying itself into its muscled chest. The two continued screaming until finally, the creature had enough. It threw its head upward, arms outstretched, and roared, before charging forward, jumping into the water.

Without a single word, Elza tossed in the cord.

* * *

Pain swept through Remus's body like never before. The Female had done something to the water. Something bad. The voice from another life said that it was electricity, but Remus could barely hear him anymore. His joints were locked, he couldn't move. He was trapped in pain. After a few moments, moments that felt like hours, Remus's heart stopped. His massive body slouched over, falling into the water, his undamaged eye slowly closing, still locked on the humans who had destroyed him.

* * *

The creature's writhing body finally stopped moving, and fell limp into the water. It was still steaming when Elza, Roy, and Aidan turned to leave.

"Elza. That was fucking brilliant."

Elza didn't say a word. She turned back, looking at the creature's body one more time. She then began to laugh. "I beat you! I won, I fucking beat you!" She continued to laugh at the steaming corpse. She then turned to Roy, and buried herself into his chest, still laughing hysterically. He wrapped his arms around her tight, and the laughter turned into crying. He didn't let go.


	12. Barrel of Monkeys

_A/N: So, I've gone back and made changes to all chapters preceding this one. If you've been following the story, the changes are minor, and mostly grammatical. I just wanted to put that out there. :D_

* * *

The stench of burning flesh was inescapable, sitting heavily in the air of the sewer tunnels. The creature's body remained unmoving in the river of filth. Roy, Elza, and Aidan departed wordlessly, finding a rod iron ladder leading to a manhole. Roy started first, and upon reaching the top, pushed the heavy manhole cover aside.

The view of the street above was no different than the other streets before it. Again, they were surrounded by utter destruction. A nearby shop was on fire, and a multiple car pileup sat a few feet away from the manhole. There was noise from behind the mountain of destroyed cars. Roy slowly crept towards one of the cars, and attempted to peer through one of the broken windows. All he could make out were several hunched figures. He couldn't tell what they were doing, but he could hear a collection of gut-wrenching slurping sounds.

There was a slam against the roof of the car. One of the creatures was standing above Roy. The beast was very tall and very slender, and its long lanky arms hung at its sides. It had sparse tufts of fine grey fur, and gnarled bone protrusions were twisting out of its shoulders. Its face bore trace resemblance to a normal mandrill's. It's bulging eyes were a milky white, and its lipless mouth was filled with jagged, crooked teeth.

"_Another zombie monkey. Peachy-fucking-keen."_

The mandrill screamed at Roy, and lashed out with its extra long arm, knocking him to the ground. It pounced off of the car, and Roy blasted it out of the air with a well-timed shotgun blast. The monkey's body pinwheeled through the air before bouncing off the top of the car and slapping against the asphalt.

Two more mandrills bounded over the cars, alerted by the death of their comrade. One of them was dragging a legless, disemboweled torso. The ape had a hatchet buried into its throat, presumably from the once-alive survivor that was now being dragged against the ground.

Aidan began firing both of his pistols; the rounds bursting against the mandrill's flesh. Infuriated, it lobbed the bloodied torso, hitting him directly and slamming him against the door of a destroyed car. Before it could reach him, Elza leapt in front of her brother, and slammed the butt of her rifle into the monkey's face.

"Stay the fuck away from him!"

Elza tackled the dazed mandrill, taking it to the ground. Quickly, she ripped the hatchet from the beast's throat. She buried the axe in the creature's face, wrenched the it out, and hit it several more times. Elza had always loved monkeys. They were her all-time favorite attraction at the Raccoon City Zoo. Her affinity for the lovable primates was long gone as she butchered the face of the creature beneath her. She pulled the hatchet away one final time; the mandrill's face was reduced to a bloody pulp.

Meanwhile, Roy was back on his feet, facing off with the last of the three mandrills. He quickly reloaded his shotgun, dropping the expired shells to the ground. The mandrill began to swing its arm at Roy. He pulled the trigger to one barrel, and the ape's hand exploded. Clutching its mangled paw, the mandrill hissed at Roy. He responded by unloading the second barrel into its face. It briefly stumbled before tumbling over.

Aidan pushed away the half-eaten torso, and picked himself up from the ground. "Shit. Guys, you remember the clipboard from the truck? I think those were Bishops. The smaller monkeys were the Pawns, and these things are the Bishops."

Roy looked at him warily. "Wasn't there another name on that list?"

Elza chimed in, "Rook. The third name was Rook."

There was a monstrous scream. It was distant, but still very loud. The ground slightly began to rumble. There was another shout, this one much clearer. There was a blur of motion, a huge creature, and it sent several crashed cars into the air.

A monstrous gorilla stood before them. Its black fur was soaked with stark crimson blood. Each massive hand had two claws protruding between the fingers. Its eyes, like its other primate brethren, were a piercing white. Sharp tusks protruded from its bloodied mouth, and its chest and arms were covered with scratches and wounds. It slammed its fists against its chest, and lifted a nearby car.

"Everybody run!"


	13. School of Hard Knox

Due to his own strong sense of humility, Harrison Knox would never refer to himself as a "seasoned" man. To all of his colleagues who happened to know of his eventful life, "seasoned" barely scraped the surface of the science teacher's numerous experiences. When he finished high school in 1956, Knox hastily enlisted into the U.S. Armed Forces, sending him to war in Vietnam. After three years in the service, Knox was injured in combat, and decided that his time in the military was at its end. Thanks to his years in combat, Knox received enough funding to jump right into the world of higher education, and over the course of many years, received Master's Degrees in Biology and Secondary Education. Between the battlefield and the lecture hall, Knox saw the beginning and ending of two marriages, but he had yet to father any children.

Putting his degrees to good use, Knox settled down in the small mid-western town of Raccoon City, becoming a biology teacher at the local high school. His students were essentially the closest thing to children he would ever have, and that was something he was completely content with. He loved his students, his job, and even the school building itself, which had become very familiar to him after so many years of walking its halls. For the past few hours, the once familiar Raccoon City High School felt more like a Vietnam battlefield than Knox's home away from home. Something was horribly amiss, and had it not been for years of fighting in the jungle, witnessing horrible, grisly things, Harrison Knox surely would have lost his mind. Instead, he channeled his survival skills from years long passed, and used them to transform Raccoon City High into a safe haven from the unexplainable undead menace that now lurked the streets.

Knox was currently in his laboratory classroom, examining the latest specimen that he captured wandering the school cafeteria. He managed to capture it without killing it, but not without getting scratched up pretty badly. The creature was secured to one of the black lab tables, its hands and feet duct-taped to the laminate countertops. Its shaky hands were slowly beginning to change into malformed claws, and its elongated tongue slid across the table, presumably searching for prey. The eyes were completely cataracted, leaving Knox to assume that they were barely, if at all, functional. Its crimson skin was very fragile, peeling away to reveal the toned red musculature beneath. Above its glazed eyes, its brain had begun to protrude through the skull. He turned to his notebook, jotting down a few observations. He heard a monumental crash outside, causing him to drop his pen and paper to the floor. _"What in God's name is going on out there?"_

He walked to the front of his classroom, and grabbed the fire axe he had procured earlier from the side of his desk. He had no idea what was causing the commotion outside, but if there were any survivors out there, his help would surely be invaluable. He left the room and advanced down the hallway, tightly clutching the axe in both hands as he neared the exit.

* * *

Roy subconsciously cursed every cigarette he had ever smoked as he devoted all of his energy to running, his lungs on fire. They had been running for at least a mile, and the Rook was still in pursuit, destroying everything in his path. Roy looked sharply over his shoulder, and saw an uprooted fire hydrant in the gorilla's hand. He reared his arm back like a baseball pitcher, and Roy shouted, **"EVERYBODY, LOOK OUT!"**

Elza and Aidan both looked back, noticing the projectile just in time. Aidan took a hard left, and Elza narrowly missed the flying hydrant, somersaulting away as the concrete where she had been standing exploded from the impact. Rolling to her feet, she looked back, and the hydrant was firmly embedded in the destroyed sidewalk, and with his bounding pace, Rook was not far behind. As they quickly turned a corner, Elza saw Raccoon City High School's Main Hall. In the front lawn, a large black armored car laid overturned in the grass. Panting, she shouted to Roy, "Armored car!...Guns?"

Roy nodded, "Worth a shot!" The trio pushed themselves further, picking up speed as they advanced towards the car. "You two check for the guns! I'll keep him busy!" Roy yelled before quickly changing course. Elza watched as he stopped and began to run at the beast.

"Roy! What the hell are you doing?" she panicked. Only an arm's length away from the enraged monster, Roy pulled out his revolver, plugging a round into the Rook's face before rolling between his legs. Furious, Rook put a hand to its wounded cheek, and swung his free arm at Roy as he retreated. His burly arm nearly hit its mark, as Roy could feel the rush of air from the massive limb as it swung past him. He looked towards Elza and Aidan, and saw that they had made it to the truck. Holstering his pistol, he replaced it with the shotgun, firing a shot into Rook's shoulder. Infuriated, Rook charged, smashing his fists against the asphalt as he advanced on Roy.

Producing a hefty assault rifle, Elza leapt from the armored car, peppering Rook's large, muscular midsection, but the beast seemed to be unfazed as bulletholes dotted along his stomach. There was a sudden hand on her shoulder. She jumped.

"It's alright. I'm here to help. You two, get inside."

Elza looked up into the kind eyes of an older gentleman. His silver hair was cropped closely to his head, and he was in exceptionally good shape for his age, as his light blue button-up shirt clung tightly to his muscular frame.

"You two, inside," he repeated, "I'll get your friend." He then sprinted past Elza towards the gorilla, holding a fire axe in one hand. He stopped about ten feet away from Rook, and pulled a small pistol from his belt. Steadying it with the ape's head, he shouted, "Over here, cocksucker!"

Just as he turned, the man fired, sending a flare directly into Rook's face. He unleashed a hellish roar as flames engulfed his head. The putrid smell of burning flesh and hair filled the streets. The older man ran to Roy and offered a hand. "Name's Knox, I'm a teacher here. Get inside, it's safe. I'll make sure he doesn't follow."

"Wait, what ar-"

"Just go, dammit! Inside!"

Roy reluctantly obliged, and ran towards to the school to meet Elza and Aidan. He looked back at Knox, just as he buried his fire axe into Rook's chest. Roy stopped, wanting to help. Knox noticed, and yelled, "Get the hell inside, and shut the door behind you! Meet me in room 152!" He ripped the axe out of Rook's bulging pectoral muscle, pulling his arms back to deliver another blow. He looked back, and was relieved to see that the trio finally made inside, and the school's main doors were shut. _"Thank God." _

He swung the axe again, but Rook was ready. He caught both of Knox's arms, and was firmly gripping them in one giant hand. He looked up into the creature's burnt visage, smeared with blood and saliva. Knox stifled a scream as his arms were crushed in the beast's clenched fist. He released Knox's broken arms, and the axe fell to the ground with a loud clatter.

Both hands wrapped around Knox's waist, holding him tightly. Then, they began to pull. The pain was becoming unbearable, but Knox didn't scream. He simply wouldn't. _"I won't give you the satisfaction, you son of a bitch."_ His entire abdomen burned with unbridled pain, until he finally heard the tearing of flesh. Each half was thrown to the side, and the upper half of Harrison Knox landed on the asphalt hard. He looked down, and saw his own intestines spilling into the street. His eyes were growing heavier, and he was getting dizzy. He could feel death's rapid approach. Before he slipped away, he looked at the gorilla, dead in the eyes, and shakily raised his middle finger. _"Fuck...you." _His arm went limp and fell to the ground, and he closed his eyes as he exhaled his final breath.


	14. After School Special

Roy could still hear the Rook's ferocious roars as he slammed the double doors to the school entryway, leaving their aged rescuer outside. He was opposed to leaving the man outside with the creature, but he had firmly insisted, so he had to oblige. _"I just hope he makes it back okay, maybe with the head of that gorilla for good measure." _Roy turned to Elza and Aidan, and scanned the vacant hallway ahead of them. There were no lights, the hall was illuminated solely by both the streetlights outside and the moon above, casting the walls in a dim golden hue. There were rows of lockers on either side of the hallway, many of them either left open, or severely damaged, and various school supplies and garbage littered the blood-splattered tile floors.

"Who was that?" asked Elza.

"He said his name was Knox, and he's a teacher here. He took that gorilla head on, and hit him in the face with a flare gun," Roy said, still amazed by the courage Knox displayed.

"Is he gonna be alright?"

"Can't say, but he seemed confident enough, and he sure looked handy with that axe. He told me to take you guys to Room 152, and he would meet us there."

"Well, I suppose we best listen to the man, especially if he works here," Aidan chimed in as he loaded a shell into his shotgun.

Roy nodded, "Agreed." They slowly made their way down the hall, keeping their wits about them as they descended into the darkened hallway. The school was dead silent; a far cry from its once bustling halls, the livelihood of its former students was nowhere to be found. They made it to the intersection, which branched off into three other hallways. Each corner had a sign, a classroom guide. Rooms 150-160 were to the left.

As they moved through the new hallway, the sights were the same: trash and blood. A set of double doors lay at the end of the hallway, one of them slightly ajar. Spray-painted on the doors was the word "MASKS." Roy raised a hand, and Elza and Aidan stood back, allowing him to go forward and investigate. Pistol in one hand, Roy used his free hand to cover his nose and mouth as he nudged the door open with his gun. He stood in the doorway only for a moment before turning away with disgust.

"You guys need to see this. Fair warning, it's not pretty, it certainly doesn't smell good, and this place may not be as safe as we think."

Elza and Aidan stepped forward apprehensively, nearing the door. Inside was an indoor pool. What was once used for swim meets and practices had become a stinking cesspool. The bodies of at least thirty students and faculty members filled the pool, their rotting corpses tainting the water, turning it a murky brown. Flies buzzed through the air, swarming above the bodies that were still floating. None of them were moving, and even through the muddled water, Elza could see several bodies had sunken to the bottom of the pool. Puddles of blood-tinged water covered the tiles around the pool, and the small bleachers on either side of the expansive room were empty.

"What is this? Did that man _kill_ all these people?"

Roy questioned the man's intentions himself, _"He seemed upstanding enough. What if he lured us in here to finish us off himself?"_

There were suddenly the heavy stomps of combat boots behind them. They turned, and saw the gunman steadily holding his automatic rifle at their faces, his own face masked behind the firearm.

"Survivors?"

Roy tried not to stammer, "Yes."

"Infected?"

Images of Kelsey and Serena took over Elza's memory, their slack jaws and white eyes glaring deep into her psyche; that word had become a curse. "No. None of us have been bitten."

The man lowered his rifle, allowing them to see his face. He had closely cropped blonde hair, and a handsome face with a chiseled jaw. His face was badly bruised, his lip split down the middle. His eyes were an icy blue, but despite their intensity, had a very apparent sense of kindness to them. He was clad in tactical gear: an olive green fatigue shirt, black utility vest, khaki pants, knee and elbow pads, and combat boots. He extended a gloved hand towards them. "Blake Treadwell, Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service."

Roy shook his hand, "Roy Jones, Raccoon City Police. This is Elza Walker, and her brother Aidan." They each shook his hand. "Can I ask what the hell happened here?"

"Infection, on a grand scale. A virus swept the city, and right now we're fighting our way through the results. We were sent in to rescue civilians and eradicate any bio-organic weapons that we may encounter."

"Bio-organic weapons? Like that gorilla, or the huge creature with the shell?" Aidan asked.

"Precisely. If I may, can I ask if this shelled creature had reptilian characteristics?"

Elza spoke up, "It did, it looked like a cross between a lizard and a human. It chased us into the sewers, and we killed it."

Treadwell looked at her with surprise. "You _killed_ it? Then you must be a pretty tough group. That creature was designed to kill. My squad received intelligence on it as we were flying into town. An Umbrella scientist, Trenton Bledsoe, went rogue and released his experimental subjects, allowing them to take his life, then run amok throughout Raccoon City. The creature you took care of was codenamed "Remus." Bledsoe was in charge of two other bio-organic weapons, one deemed "Romulus," and the other…well, we don't know much about Specimen III other than the fact that it may or may not actually exist."

"So there's monsters running around Raccoon City, and the population has been turned into braindead cannibals. Why?" Aidan asked, a tinge of resentment in his voice.

"We don't know. Umbrella has a lot of power in this city, so they sent us in to eradicate any threats, and rescue anyone we were able to. So far, we haven't been able to save very many. As we were passing the school in our convoy, Romulus ambushed us and flipped our transport over. We tried to fight him off, but he killed the bulk of my squad. Only four of us made it in here, and now there are only two surviving members left. I'm just glad that of the two of us, I found you first."

"Who's the other surviving member?"

"A man named Günther Fleischer. Umbrella has made some interesting choices in assembling the ranks of the U.B.C.S. They seek out mercenaries, fugitives, and felons. I've never known quite why. I myself was handpicked due to my military experience, but I don't have a track record like Günther does. Years ago, he was imprisoned for the deaths of fourteen people, murdered over the course of a night in a rural area in Germany. He was a media sensation over there, and before he was caught, the news reports dubbed him 'The Grendel.' He's also here in the school, but he's put the rescue assignment on the backburner, and has taken to killing any and everything he sees. He killed Speare, one of my colleagues who survived Romulus and made it into the school. He's turned this place into his own sick playground, leaving Knox and I to try and fend him off."

"Knox, the older guy? He's the one who told us to hide inside the school."

"He's the only teacher who survived, and he's got a hell of a left hook," Treadwell laughed, idly sliding his tongue across his broken lip. "He's a biology teacher, and he's been trying to research some of the creatures running around the school. Here, follow me. It'll be easier to talk without the stink," he said as he nodded towards the corpse-filled pool. "I apologize for this, by the way. It probably looks pretty sketchy. Knox and I have had to put down a lot of infected, and we wanted to place to keep the bodies. He just didn't feel comfortable leaving them all over the school."

Elza breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank God. I thought we had walked into a trap."

"That would be Günther's style, not mine. Come on, let's head to the classroom."

Treadwell took only a few steps towards the exit before he stopped, and readied his rifle. "Wait," he whispered. He carefully approached the door, and suddenly threw it open. Two children clumsily stumbled into the room, infected, a boy and a girl. Both of them had to be around fifteen years old, and both had ropes tied tightly around their necks. The boy was missing an arm, and the flesh on his chest had been stripped away, exposing his rib cage and the nonfunctioning organs beneath it. The girl was missing both of her eyes, and her cheeks were streaked with blood from the empty sockets.

Roy stared into the girl's empty eye sockets, almost hypnotized. They were endless black chasms, gaping pits that bore no soul, no personality. He held his pistol directly to her forehead, and without flinching, shot her in the head. Treadwell slung his rifle over his shoulder, and redirected the boy's weight as he charged, sending him falling to the ground. He raised his boot, and stomped on the back of the boy's neck. The audible crack of his now broken spinal cord echoed for a moment, until the room returned to silence.

Treadwell's face was solemn, emotionless, as he grabbed the rope around the boy's neck and dragged him to the edge of the pool, dropping him in. He returned, without a word, and repeated the process with the corpse of the girl, adding her to the collection. He stood by the pool, looking at the countless bodies. "It's a shame. It's a goddamn shame. Did you see the ropes around their necks? That's Günther. He's been trapping the infected, tying them up, and using them to attack us, like fucking dogs. They were just kids, y'know? It's…it's just not fair."

No one said a word. Elza looked Treadwell straight in the eyes. "No. It's not. None of this is."


	15. Detention

Weary from yet another scuffle with the undead, Treadwell led the group away from the pool. "Let's go. I'll take you to Knox's classroom," he said, his voice heavy with exhaustion. Roy and Elza followed, while Aidan stayed, his gaze fixed on the corpses floating in the swimming pool.

"Care to join us?" Elza turned back, a forced smile on her face.

Aidan was snapped out of his brief trance, "Sorry, uh…yeah. Right behind you." Aidan couldn't think straight, his mind busy and preoccupied. _"We're losing it. We're losing our humanity. Roy shot that girl without a second thought. Is this what's happening, are we becoming like the things we're trying to escape? Emotionless? Cold?"_

Aidan's train of thought was interrupted when a burning pain seared through his back. He barely stifled a cry before placing a hand on his lower back. His hand returned soaked in blood. He had been stabbed.

"E-Elza?" he stammered before collapsing to the ground.

"Aidan?" Elza cried before a hulking figure was upon her. She didn't have time to make out a face before he was all over her, wrenching her arm behind her back. A bloody knife flashed before her eyes, and suddenly, it was at her throat, the blade against her trembling flesh.

Roy and Treadwell turned, but it was too late.

"Make one move, and I take off her head."

Treadwell's heart sank. It was Günther, and Elza was at his mercy.

"Günther, please. Don't hurt the girl," Treadwell calmly spoke, almost whispering.

"Why not? Do you not see the pleasure in her struggle?" He wrenched her arm upwards, forcing a cry from her. "Do you not hear the music in her pain?" He briefly eyed Roy's hand nearing his holstered pistol. "No guns. The second I see a gun, I spill her blood before you can even pull the trigger."

Roy bit back his anger, and held both of his hands in front of him. "Fine. No guns."

Günther laughed, a deep bellowing chuckle. He was a mountainous man, his muscular frame pressed tightly against his U.B.C.S. uniform. He had a bald head, the sides of which adorned with tattoos. His eyes looked like they were devoid of color. Their shade of brown was so dark, they nearly blended with his black pupils completely. His monstrous arm, held across Elza's throat, was also covered with tattoos.

"Don't follow me. She's mine now." He walked backwards, keeping a tight hold on Elza. She began to struggle, but he continued to drag her behind him.

"Find me! Please Roy! Aidan! Find me!" They had tuned the corner. They were gone, but Elza's pleas bounced off of the walls, slowly growing fainter and fainter. Several seconds later, a door slammed, and her cries could no longer be heard.

Treadwell kneeled beside Aidan, inspecting his wound. Roy turned towards him, burning with rage. "We're going to find her."

"No, we need to wait. This has happened before, with Speare, my colleague. He grabbed him, and took him away. I followed. Günther had taken him into a classroom, and as soon as he saw me through that little glass window, he sliced open the side of his face. He told me that was a warning, and that if I didn't leave, he would cut his face off."

"What happened?"

"I kicked down the door. Günther just looked at me, standing behind Speare, holding him by the hair as he sat in one of the desks. I raised my gun, and it didn't even faze him." Treadwell paused, and cleared his throat. "He looked at me, and began cutting off his face. He did it so calmly, and he kept his eyes on me the entire time, while Speare just screamed. Günther laughed as my gun began to quaver, my hands were shaking. I couldn't watch, but I was too terrified to do anything. So, I ran. I ran back to the room with Knox, and locked the door."

Aidan and Roy were silent, their gazes fixed on Treadwell.

"Roy. We'll go after her, you and me. Aidan, we're going to keep you in Knox's room. Your wound is pretty minor, and it doesn't look like he hit any organs. As long as you keep the door locked, you'll be fine with some rest and bandages. Just stay by the door, so you can unlock it when we get back. As soon as we do, we'll get you patched up."

"Do we go now?" Roy asked, flatly. He was trying to restrain himself, but he felt as if he was going to explode with anger at any second.

"Let's wait a minute or two, so he won't be immediately expect us. We'll sneak up on him. Once we get Aidan to the room, we'll go."

Roy nodded, and knelt beside Aidan, and lifted him up. He smiled as he weakly uttered, "Go easy on me officer."

"Can do," he smiled back before turning his attention back to Treadwell. "Show us the way."

Once Günther had made it to the classroom, _his _room, he grabbed Elza by the hair, and forced her to face him. He held her hair tightly, and leaned in towards her face. "Are you scared yet?"

She spat in his face. In return, he hit her. His fist slammed against her face, sending her to the floor. Her ears ringing, he grabbed her by the hair once again, and dragged her to a desk. He sat her down, then turned the desk around.

In front of her, there was another desk. A man sat before her, wearing the same uniform as Treadwell. He had short, spiked red hair, and his face was completely missing. Instead, she stared at what remained, a bloody mess of musculature tightly clinging to his skull. His lidless eyes met hers, and his lipless mouth bore white teeth, forming a permanent, haunting smile. He shifted forward, his mouth moving ever so slightly as his eyes shifted from Elza to Günther. He was still alive.

"It happens to be your lucky day. Speare was not able to get a preview, but you will. You have the privilege of knowing what to expect."

Günther walked behind the faceless Speare, knife still in hand. He whispered into his ear, then peered at Elza from over Speare's shoulder. Without breaking eye contact, he cut the man's throat. His horrifying skeletal mouth opened as he gasped for air. He made no other sound besides a choked gurgling as his lungs began to fill with blood. In seconds, he slumped forward, laying face down on the desk as crimson spilled onto the floor.

"Now. Your turn." He approached her, knife at the ready. Elza reacted quickly, not thinking. Her hand darted out, and she thrust her index finger into Günther's eye. He let out a cry of pain, his free hand covering his face. "You bitch! You dirty bitch!"

Elza ignored his expletives, and stumbled towards the door. She was still disoriented, her head pounding. She had to force each leg to move, as her tired body tried to resist. She practically fell out of the room before breaking into a shaky sprint, running down the hallway. Hopefully towards Roy. Hopefully towards safety.


	16. Hall Pass

Even with the pounding in her skull and the dull buzzing in her ears, it was impossible for Elza to shut out Günther's monstrous cries. Each step she took required more and more effort. She wanted nothing more than to just lay down and rest until she could shake off the effects of Günther's devastatingly powerful punch. _"Can't outrun him. Need to hide." _Elza felt like her brain was chugging, but her vision was slowly returning to normal. She came to a hallway intersection, and halted her sprint. She could only vaguely remember the direction Günther had dragged her in.

Elza resumed her shaky sprint, deciding on the hallway to the right. There were doors on either side of the hall; classrooms. Elza began testing the door handles, trying to remain as quiet as possible. The first door was locked, but the second handle gave way under Elza's shaky hand. She ducked into the classroom, and slowly guided the door closed, releasing the handle once the lock was aligned with the deadbolt.

She turned, and the bloodied face of a former student was rapidly approaching her. The girl's arms were outstretched, crooked fingers writhing greedily as she shuffled forward. Her slack jaw dropped, and she emitted a throaty gurgle as dark blood oozed past her lips, spilling onto her bright orange t-shirt. Thinking as quickly as her tired brain could manage, Elza ducked low, darting past the girl. Once behind her, she worked with the girl's forward momentum, slamming her against the wall. _"Shit. Can't be too loud."_

Orange had recovered, and turned her bloodied face towards Elza once again. One of her eyes was missing, and her cheek below the empty socket had been reduced to shredded flesh. Elza's eyes darted towards the teacher's desk in the corner. She maneuvered around the girl, and kicked out her legs, knocking her to the floor. She ran towards the corner, fueled by pure adrenaline. She could not feel her feet hitting the floor, nor could she feel her hands wrapping around the teacher's heavy rolling chair. Elza's fingers struggled with the adjustment mechanism underneath the chair. She successfully pulled the switch, and will all the force she could muster, tore the chair off of its wheeled base.

Orange was still on the floor, now crawling towards her, dragging her belly against the tiled floor. Elza stood over her, and used her boot to flip her onto her back. She raised the chair above her head, and slammed it down with all of her strength. The metal rod base hit under the girl's forehead, and just above the bridge of her tiny, upturned nose. The girl's arms ceased their struggle, dropping limply to the floor. The gurgle in her throat slowly subsided, until it finally stopped.

Exhausted, Elza nearly collapsed in the closest desk she could reach. Her eyes travelled across the classroom's windows. The sky had grown dark, but an ominous orange glow remained as isolated fires continued to burn. Elza noticed movement. Barely stifling a scream, Elza covered her mouth with both hands and slouched in the desk, out of the window's view. It was the Rook, still outside; still looking for them. _"Please, please, please…he couldn't have noticed me." _She stayed slouched in the desk, terrified. If Rook had noticed her, she would find out soon enough.

* * *

"If you guys are going to leave me here, can I at least get some confirmation that Ol' Skinless won't break free and rape the shit out of me?" Aidan said between breaths as he pressed firmly against the knife wound on his back.

Treadwell slowly walked towards the beast that Knox had secured to the table. He unsheathed his combat knife, and drove it into the creature's exposed brain without a word. "He won't be giving you any trouble."

Aidan winced as he propped himself against a wall near the door. "Much appreciated, soldier boy. You guys going to bring my sister back?" He locked his weary eyes on Roy's.

"Yeah. Yeah, we are." Roy kept eye contact with Aidan, his gaze filled with determination and underlying rage. "She's gonna be back here, safe and sound. I promise."

Aidan gave Roy a brief nod, then rested his head against the wall. Roy and Treadwell left the room, and heard the click of the door locking behind them. As they walked, Roy ejected the clip from his handgun. Satisfied with the sight of golden bullet casings, Roy slammed the clip back into the pistol. _"If you've so much as scratched her, these bullets are going straight through your skull." _As they slowly walked down the hallway, Roy could not stop thinking about the impending vengeance he planned to unleash upon Günther. He had never felt so passionate about anything; not until tonight; not until he had met Elza. _"God. I hope she's alright." _Roy felt a lump in his throat, and clenched his jaw. Now was not the time. Treadwell suddenly snapped Roy out of his own head.

"Wait," Treadwell quietly spat. "I hear something." Treadwell crept towards the intersection, cupping a gloved hand around his ear. There was another noise, and this time, Roy heard it too.

"Is that screaming? Günther screaming?"

"Yes. Follow me." Treadwell advanced forward, years of combat training evident in his quiet, controlled pace. Roy kept close, stepped as quietly as his own boots would allow. The bellowing screams were growing louder as they went from hallway to hallway. Treadwell abruptly stopped, the color drained from his face. "His classroom. The screams are coming from the classroom."

"Then let's go! He's doing the screaming, and not Elza. We need to hurry!" Treadwell didn't respond, his eyes darting back and forth. "Then tell me where it is! C'mon Treadwell, we don't have time for this!"

Treadwell attempted to speak, but could not. Eyes locked on the ground, he simply raised a shaking hand and pointed right. Roy immediately took the hall to the right, but he couldn't tell which classroom Treadwell meant. The hall was filled with doors on either side, none of them remarkably different from the other. One of the doors burst open. Günther barreled out of the room, a hand covering one of his eyes. In his other hand was a bloodied combat knife. Roy's heart sunk.

"YOU!" Günther shouted and tossed the knife with frightening precision. Roy ducked and rolled to the left as the knife clattered against the wall behind him. Günther was already upon him, his sprint frighteningly fast. Roy stumbled and began to run, back to the hallway where Treadwell was waiting.

"He's right here! Günther's here!" Roy took the corner hard, nearly slipping in a pool of blood. As he attempted to regain his balance, Günther had enough time to catch up. The beastly man wrapped a meaty hand around Roy's throat, clenching it tightly as his lifted him into the air. Roy lifted his pistol towards Günther's head, but it was quickly swatted away. Günther stared at Roy, his damaged eye half closed, leaking a viscous liquid. He attempted to breath, but it was impossible, with Günther's grip cutting off all access to air. There was a sudden series of pops in the air, and Roy dropped to the ground.

Roy gasped for air, revitalized by each ragged breath he could manage. He forced himself to his feet, and saw Günther on the ground beside him. The shots hit his shoulder and arm, but he was already picking himself up off the ground. Roy was slowly jogging towards Treadwell when he heard it.

"Roy?! Roy, is that you?!"

"_Elza. She's alive. She's okay. Oh thank God, she's okay." _Roy's heart began pounding in his chest. He could make out where Elza's voice was coming from. Without a word, Roy and Treadwell sprinted down the hall. _"We're coming for you Elza. I'm coming for you."_

* * *

Once Günther was back on his feet, Treadwell and the cop were gone. _"Dammit. I'll tear those little shits limb from limb." _He stomped his way down the hall, scanning the classrooms with his good eye. Günther found the room he was looking for. With his back against the wall, he slowly peered into the room through the window. He had managed to trap five of Umbrella's howler monkey B.O.W.s several hours ago. Günther pounded on the door, getting the apes' attention. He grabbed a grenade from his vest, pulled the pin, and left it by the door.

Günther made it to back to his classroom, and paused by the door. Once he heard the blast, he opened the door and went inside. _"Eat up my pets. Eat up."_


End file.
